Electronic devices, such as cameras and bar code scanners, employ a lens to focus an image onto an image sensor. Image sensors contain a grid of photosites that convert light to electrical charges. These charges can then be measured and converted into digital numbers that indicate how much light is reflected onto each photosite. Generally, an image is focused onto the image sensor through a camera or scanner lens. Varying amounts of light are reflected onto each photosite, which loosen electrons that are then captured and stored. The number of electrons loosened from any photosite is directly proportional to the amount of light hitting it. When the exposure is completed, the sensor contains different numbers of electrons accumulated onto each photosite. The image is read off the sensor by converting the stored electrons to a series of analog charges, which are then converted to digital values by an Analog-to-Digital (A/D) converter.
Accordingly, image sensors can be utilized for a plurality of tasks. However, employing image sensors for different tasks conventionally requires utilizing multiple devices, as such tasks require different optical characteristics (e.g., focal length).